THE CHALLENGED
By John B. Moore
(Interview with bassist Colin Kane)Believe it or not, there’s at least one band in Brooklyn that is not made up of skinny jean wearing hipsters. THE CHALLENGED, currently one of a handful of bands still holding on to the proud tradition of New York punk rock, may be in the minority, but they more than make up for it with their music: three-minute bursts of catchy pop punk reminiscent of bands like SCREECHING WEASEL and THE DESCENDENTS. And speaking of SCREECHING WEASEL, founder Ben Weasel is a fan of THE CHALLENGED, playing their music on his radio show and bringing them along to open shows for him. With a new full length just released (Loaded Language), bassist Colin Kane spoke recently about the band’s recent set at Insubordination Fest, the many uses of whiskey and the band’s desire to be mystery shoppers for Denny’s.
You guys have had a lot of lineup changes since first starting. How long has this line up been together? Is it hard to find someone who can play who also gels with everyone’s personality?
I think it is hard. There are some people who take being in bands way too seriously. There are some people who don’t take it serious enough and don’t show up to practice. There’s always a perfect middle ground where everyone is comfortable being in a tiny room with each other, the song writing flows, inside jokes get established, and you have fun on the road. I think that’s where we’re at.
When you think Brooklyn, you don’t exactly think pop/punk. Is it lonely playing punk rock in Brooklyn?
You’d be surprised. It is still a vast minority, but there is definitely a solid scene in Brooklyn these days. A handful of bars, a handful of house show spaces, and a great bunch of bands. It has made playing in NYC fun again.
So how did you guys first hook up with Ben Weasel?
We had talked briefly over the web a few times, then we just sent him our CD. He ended up playing some of our songs on his Weasel Radio show, and said that he dug us. A few months later, after he has started playing shows under his own name, he asked us to open up in Chicago, so we built a small tour around it. It was a great time and a bit of a surreal experience. Once Screeching Weasel reformed, we played a show with them in Philly. Again, a great night. He and his band mates are a great bunch of guys and we always look forward to working with them anytime.
You recorded your first record in just a few days. How long did you have to work on Loaded Language?
I think we got an extra day this time, plus longer hours. It was amazing. The Idiot House, and its gentleman proprietor Phrank Martian (of Nancy fame) don’t exactly have strict hours. He would usually want to tap out after about 10 or 11 hours, but we quickly learned that a bottle of whiskey would get us another 2 or 3. Working with Phrank was the absolute best. You feel like you’re just hanging out with friends, which is exactly what we were doing, except we were also making a record. Phrank has a great ear, and did a fantastic job of pushing performances out of us at key times.
While part of me would love to experience some sort of decadent recording schedule that drags on for weeks, I feel like over thinking and a loss of urgency would get the best of us. Panic is a great creative fuel. It is up there with whiskey. We always want our recordings to match the energy of a live show, and I think a 4 day mad dash to lay down all the tracks is a good environment for that.
Were any of these songs left over from previous efforts?
I’d say that there were a good number of songs that didn’t work live, sounded too much like other songs, or we just got bored of. I like to believe that if you want to have 13 good songs on a record then you have to start out with like 30 and scrap away- or just keep the good parts of some.
What can you tell me about this new record?
The new record is sonically different than Relapse, definitely reminiscent of 90′s pop punk and power pop, in terms of production. It feels more like us…like a trio. All the instruments are crisp and cut through the mix. The songs are the best we’ve done. Some are perfect compliments to each other, others stick out a bit with a slower tempo or softer intro, and some are just plain catchy sing-alongs. I think everyone’s vocals fall more into play. We spent more time on vocals than instruments. As a record, the tempo and flow is great for sitting down and listening to the whole thing right through. It also would not have been possible without Phrank Martian, Justin Perkins, and Jonny Rally. So either thank or blame them.
You guys played Insubordination Fest this year. How was that? Any good stories?
Our CDs arrived at the 11th hour. They were ready the Thursday Insub started. Luckily for us, the pressing plant was about an hour outside of Baltimore. Mark Enoch, who clearly didn’t have enough to do already besides running the fest, drove to the plant for us Thursday and grabbed a box of CDs -a real saint. So when we set up our merch Saturday afternoon, it was our first time seeing the finished product. That made for an extra giddy set, despite it being the first band early in the afternoon while at least one of us was still a bit hungover. Also, we played the pre-show last year, which I believe was Jonny Rally’s first time seeing us, and the first time I saw Jon Weiner defecate.
Speaking of Jonny Rally, how did you end up on Rally Records?
He had heard us on Weasel Radio, and had listened to Relapse and simply asked us if we wanted to make an album. At the time, we already had plans to do a split EP with Nancy (7 Guys 1 Cup http://www.thechallenged.com/7guys1cup.zip ) and release it for free. That was our first time recording with Phrank, and we loved it. After that, we self-recorded about 13 or 14 songs in our warehouse and sent Rally the demo. He gave it 5 out of 5 Coors Lights (a top rating!) and the ball began to roll on Loaded Language. Jonny Rally is a prince among men who would lay down in traffic if you needed him to do so.
I know you guys booked a lot of your own tours starting out. Is the band still pretty hands on when it comes to booking shows?
Yeah. I’m sure a booking agent would be nice, but for the most part, we just pick a direction, draw a loop, and start contacting places. It is much less difficult than when you had to sit by the phone, fingers crossed that the BYOFL entry for that particular town is up to date. We’ve had some tumbleweeds for sure, but overall our tours, as short as they may be, have been really great. We’ve met a ton of great people along the way.
Anything else you want to add?
If we are in your town, we would love to see you. Making new friends and having fun shows are why we do this. Lastly, if anyone from Denny’s sees this: if you are looking to sponsor a band or hire secret shoppers, we are more than qualified.
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